Coconut Cashew Kale Salad

This weekend was Pat’s cousin’s wedding and I had one of the best meals ever!! I’m being totally serious. I couldn’t really eat anything at the cocktail hour; but everyone else was feasting on mini lobster rolls (OMG they were adorably cute), chicken empanadas, mini lamb chops, and goat cheese stuffed dates.

And that was just the cocktail hour.

The first course of our dinner was a kale and brussels sprout salad with toasted almonds. I was so pleasantly surprised (I shouldn’t have been given the appetizer spread) with how delicious it was! And it was quite similar to the salad I made us for lunch – this cococut cashew kale salad!

In both cases, lacinato kale serves as the base of the salad. I have been crushing HARD on lacinato kale lately; I think it is because the leaves are a little more delicate compared to the classic curly green kale that I eat every morning with breakfast.

But the real start of the show is this dressing. HUBBA. It is good.I seriously love anything with rice vinegar and sesame oil in it. The flavors together are so well balanced and just plain good.

Add in the coconut flakes and cashews for a little crunch and we are all set!

But you’re probably wondering what else we had to eat. Here’s the rundown:

Dinner: Filet mignon served over mashed potatoes and topped with roasted root vegetables.

Dessert #1: Almond and Bailey’s flavored cake. It wasn’t GF so they brought me a big bowl of fruit!